The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1887-04-07
SOUTHERN CIVILIZATION.
The Man of the Old South Was Direct
of Purpose, Brave, Generous, Just
Columbia Register.

Southern civilization Southern bar.
berism. Well, we won't quarrel with
our Northern. brethren about it, but
we call it Southern civilization. never
theless. The Register claims to be
an exponent of this civilization-not
q kuklux civilization, not ballot box
stuffiing civilization, and very surely
not New South civilization, but the
Old South civilization, with ali its
faults and all it's virtues. And just
this civilization, with ali its belong
ings, was not unknown abroad any
more than it was unknown at the
North.
Disraeli, in his Endymion, we
think, shows tha. lie was fully alive
to the true characteristics Of the gen.
tleman Of the old dseath seHattlhi as par excel.
lence the pattern Of true manhood on
this continent. A friend Of Brit
ish gentleman Of the first water pro-
poses to introduce to him an Amerl-
can Colonel. The Briton declines
the honor, but the friend remarks:
You mistake me; the gentleman l
would introduce to you is . Southern
gentleman "Ah,' says the Briton,
'that is different matter. 1t gives
me grea; pleasure to make the &C
ouaintance.' This touches the very
marrow Of the question. Such men
of the Old South w;1c not honey
mouthed adu;ators OF any body.
They were the last men in the world
to defer to British arrogance. They
stood upon equal ;erns with every
man, or no terms at all. Angloma-
niaism was unknown at the South.
British merchants who did business
here understood this thing we'll and
took care not to trespass on the
amour propze Of the Southern planter
any more than they would on that of
NV Lord" in their old home. The
man Of the old South was direct OF
purpose, brave. generous, just. He
was the furthcrmost man in the world
from being q snob. "Cits.' who af-
fected his company might be, he
could not be and preserve his own
respect. An honest man to him was
a worthy man, whatever his birth OF
calling. A proud, self-rcspect COM
manded this at his hands, whatever
the social associations of the two
men might be. There was nature in
this Southern gentleman, and he was
too proud a man to forego it. Be-
sides this he could not forget as q
rule that his ancestry came out of a
class of hard working, able, active
men, just like those who were build.
ing up their own fortunes around him
and growing up their families to the
hiohest estate of Southern civiliZa-
ton. All, it was truly proud aud
gallant race of men, who had nothing
in common with the New South ad-
ulators, who eat dirt before Yankee
magnates. and drink the wine Of the
upstairs to the ignominious denial of
their own sires' high manhood. We
have no patience, 10 fellowship with
all this. We hare no confidence in
it and neither has any Northern man
who is man.
The truth is. the social status of q
people is by far the bigger part of
them. Law may be very well, but
we may as we'll look TO court house
for our tone as to expect people to
be set to rights or reformed by legis-
lative enactments. That law that
has not society behind it is as vacant
thing as religion without living
faith, or salt that has lost is SAVIOR.
Society is the State. It is immor-
tai. It's omnipresent, and, as near
as any earthly thing can be, it is ON
niscient. 1t proceeds to its ends,
however you make the laws. 1t asks
no man any odds, nor can any law
live without its consent. Southern
civilization las always recognized
this fact. It is wonder to many
people, both at the North and South,
that Southern men submitted them
selves so long 70 tue cruel ooHina'
ton that was exercised over them by
the mongrel race who so long had
their sway here, so far as legislation
was concerned. But tie Southern
man knew that he held the social con-
troll; and as long as that was the case
lie knew that there was day Of reck-
onin5 with the niscreants. Tie CAB
blers of the North talked of the So
cial ostracism of the South. They
knew not Of what they talked. 1t
was the keynote Of the situation.
The man who betrayed Southern So
ciety. then surrendered the strong
hold, and society rightly turned upon
him as dastardly traitor. Yes, so